Green v. Garrett
Maryland Court of Appeals
63 A.2d 326 (1949)
- Written by Steven Pacht, JD
Facts
The Baltimore Stadium (stadium) was built in 1922, at which time the surrounding area was mostly undeveloped. The stadium was seldom used for many years, but that began to change when lights were installed in 1939. Even so, the stadium was used only irregularly for such events as college football games. In July 1944, after the home stadium of the then-minor league Baltimore Baseball and Exhibition Company (Orioles) (defendant) was destroyed by a fire, Baltimore’s mayor offered the stadium to the Orioles on what all parties considered a temporary basis. Nevertheless, in April 1947, the Orioles and the Department of Recreation and Parks of Baltimore City (department) (defendant) reached a long-term agreement for the Orioles to play its home games at the stadium. This resulted in increased revenue for Baltimore but also increased annoyance for Frederick Green and other stadium neighbors (neighbors) (plaintiffs), who were bothered by the increased noise and other disturbances caused by the Orioles’ games, most of which were played at night. Specifically, the neighbors were irked by (1) the stadium’s public-address system, which was used both for game-related announcements and for music and other entertainment unrelated to baseball; (2) the stadium’s flood lights, which shone into the windows of neighboring homes and which could be repositioned; (3) dust and other problems (like blocked driveways) due largely to the stadium’s unpaved parking lots and drivers’ efforts to avoid the unpaved lots; and (4) disruptive behavior by unruly fans. The neighbors sued the department and the Orioles, arguing that the Orioles’ games constituted a nuisance the court should abate by, among other things, granting an injunction against (1) any agreement allowing the Orioles to play in the stadium, (2) the use of the loudspeaker system, (3) certain parking operations, and (4) use of the flood lights. The trial court prohibited the Orioles from using facilities in the stadium’s administration building and limited the use of the public-address system but otherwise denied the neighbors’ requested relief. The neighbors appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Marbury, C.J.)
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